paint

Definitions

paint is the same root as picture. Latin pingere (to paint) went through Old French peindre, past participle peint, which English borrowed as paint. The French detour is why it looks plain and Germanic while its Latin twin 'picture' looks bookish. It splits into the substance (a can of paint) and the act (to paint a portrait).

Common Collocations

• 1.a coat of paint一层漆
• 2.wet paint油漆未干
• 3.oil paint油画颜料
• 4.paint a picture画一幅画
• 5.peeling paint剥落的油漆

Example Sentences

• 1.

  We need another can of white paint for the ceiling.

• 2.

  They painted the front door a bright red.

• 3.

  She learned to paint with watercolors as a child.

• 4.

  The wet paint sign warned people not to touch the bench.

Easily Confused

paint vs draw — paint uses pigment and a brush, applying color across an area; draw uses pencil or pen to make lines. You paint a landscape in color but draw a quick sketch in pencil. A child 'paints' with a brush, 'draws' with crayons.